Cursed Angel
by Xtremis
Summary: This was it. It had to be today. Tomorrow... was just too late. She was going to run. And make it. No matter what Archer had said. She had to escape.
1. Escape

_Silent._

That's what she had been from the day she was 'born'.

_A Failure._

That's what she had been deemed by those who had 'created' her.

_A Curse._

That's what she had deemed her 'existence'.

_Her name?_

Hexx.

_Her story?_

That has just begun...

* * *

A deep breath in. This was it. It had to be today. Tomorrow... was just too late. She was going to run. And make it. No matter what Archer had said.

"_Why bother Hexx?" he had sneered, looking down at her, "You've tried countless times and all that happens is you get caught. You already know what your punishment is going to be .Why bother?"_

She shook off his words and looked around, through her thick matted hair. They were busy with Scales. Good. Without pausing to even think another thought, she ran. The wind pushed her hair away from her face and she got a clear view of the gates she was running for. They were closing.

"_No_." She hissed, pouring on more speed. Her feet slapped down on the dry sandy floor faster, but no noise was made.

"Experiment Eight-Oh-Two is escaping! Catch her!" Her eyes widened at the screech through the intercom system and she knew her time was limited. She ran straight through an Eraser line up, barely feeling the claws dig into her sides through the adrenaline pumping in her blood.

"HEXX! USE YOUR WINGS!" She almost fell over when Archer yelled, but didn't look back. She'd find him one day. Taking his advice in, she looked towards the gates. She'd have to use her wings if she wanted to get there in time.

She jumped, her wings snapping out from her back, their dark colour shining black in the sunlight. She immediately felt the wind streaming past her and rose away from the ground, where the land based Erasers were taking swipes at her.

Hearing the sound of more wings opening, she glanced behind her. And groaned. _Great, they have wings too!_ She swerved left to avoid an attack but slammed straight into another Eraser which had come up on her side. They were both knocked off course and her eyes narrowed.

The gates were barely open now. This was her last chance.

A deep breath in, and she tucked her wings in tighter to her body, creating a more streamlined shape with her body. The wind rushed past her faster, at almost 200 miles an hour. She shot through the opening of the gates, wincing when she felt the metal tear into the flesh on her legs. She twisted around, looking at the closed gates.

She had made it.

A growl made her head snap up. Shit, they were coming over the fence. _She _must have stopped the electrical flow. She twisted away and began flying, feeling drained. Going turbo took its toll on her energy levels.

The next few minutes were a blur for her. Or was it hours? She remembered a flash of pain when an Eraser scored her leg... Or was that when she crashed into the second tree? But then, just like that, they were gone.

"That can't be good..." she murmured, her voice barely audible to her own ears. She tried to keep aloft, but the adrenaline rush was beginning to slow down, bringing with it the pain she had avoided. Suddenly, a burning pain raced through her, her mind going blank. Her wings tucked into her back and she fell to the earth.

"_Crap..._"


	2. Trust?

Hexx groaned, straining to push herself up. A searing pain clawed at her side, another pain shooting through her left leg. She fell back to the bed she was on, gasping for air. Wait, _bed_? This time she fully sat up, ignoring the burning pain it caused her. What was she doing on a bed?

She looked around the room, her electric blue eyes wide. The pale walls and carpeted floor stared back at her, their normality almost mocking. How had she gotten into this room? It seemed... different from those she had experienced at the School. It seemed... homely.

"Mom! She's awake!" Hexx stifled a scream at the yell and her head snapped to the doorway, where a Hispanic looking girl of around 12 was peeking in. Her black fringe fell slightly into her chocolate brown eyes, giving her an innocent expression.

"Wh-Who are you?" Hexx stuttered, her long fingers unconsciously curling around the sheet spread on her lap. The girl seemed to hesitate in the doorway before she came into the room fully. Smiling, she came to a stop by the side of the bed Hex resided in.

"I'm Ella." She introduced, still smiling as she pushed some hair out of her eyes. "Mom said you should have slept for the next few days but your kinda like Max so I told her you wouldn't. Mom was the one that found you actually." Hexx's face scrunched up in confusion, though fear still lit up her eyes. Who was 'Max'? And where was she found? Ella seemed to find her confusion humorous and held back a laugh.

"Mom said you just dropped from the sky when she was out in the garden. I tried to ask more but then she pushed me out of the room 'cause she had to do some surgery on you and didn't want me to see I think..." Ella trailed off as Hexx started hyperventilating, her hand tightening around the sheets to the point where her knuckles went white.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said that..."

"Ella? Did you say she woke up?" The two girls in the room looked over to the doorway where an elder looking version of Ella stood, drying her hands on a dishcloth. Ella smiled brightly.

"Yep Mom. I told you she'd do a Max!" Hexx's eyebrows scrunched up again. Who was this 'Max' she was being compared to repeatedly?

"Well, I suppose you being awake makes for a quicker recovery..." The woman mused, walking further into the room. Hexx glanced warily between the two females, her eyes showing her unease. Sure these people _seemed _friendly, but so had the white coats before they had begun messing with her anatomy.

"You should lay down dear." The woman said, coming a step closer to the bed. Hexx pushed herself further away from the woman, hissing at the pain flaring in her abdomen. The elder woman looked to Ella who shrugged in response. She looked back to Hexx with an odd expression on her face.

Hexx shifted nervously under her gaze. Something was tugging at her memory banks. Her memory banks which she had sealed off from any contact with her conscious thought. She swallowed nervously and found her electric blue eyes flitting around the room. She heard the woman sigh and whisper something to Ella.

"_Wait outside for a moment Ella. She might not want to show them yet._" Hexx scowled mentally, her face betraying only her worry. Would they just talk to her like she was nor-_semi_-normal? Her eyes trailed Ella as she left the room and the snapped back to the elder woman she assumed to be Ella's mom.

"...Where am I?" Hexx's voice was barely a murmur if that. She supposed it had to do with the rules she had been enforced to follow. The woman smiled kindly, her brown eyes showing only warmth and compassion. Hexx didn't trust her yet though. That white coat which had worn far too much lipstick had seemed kind at first. Actually, if she squinted her eyes just right, Hexx could see… Oh wait. Was the woman talking to her?

"-Arizona. Can you remember what happened to you dear?" Hexx's eyes scanned the face of the woman, taking in every small detail to read her intent. Call her paranoid if you will, but living in captivity tended to mess with a girl's head. The woman stayed silent and Hexx sighed, dropping her eyes from her face.

"… Did you see them?" she asked her voice barely audible to her own ears. She saw the woman shift slightly from the corner of her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek.

"Yes…" She answered at length, letting out a sigh as she pushed some hair away from her eyes. "They were-how can I put it… in a bad way. The left will be out of commission for at least a week, due to the injuries sustained to the carpal joint. The right has lesser injuries but some tearing of the tendons. And your side… looked simply like someone had taken a rather large bite out of it." Hexx grimaced lightly as her injuries were accounted to her. So that's why she felt that much pain.

"Ouch…?" Hexx offered, causing a smile to tug at the woman's lips. For some reason, she wanted to be able to trust this woman. But, no; not yet. Trusting people took it's time. _Remember that Hexx, take your time._

Taking what seemed to be a deep breath, the woman looked Hexx straight in the eyes. Hexx squirmed slightly, though her gaze never left the other woman's brown orbs. Eye contact always bugged her. _This was why I hung out with Havoc…_ she muttered mentally.

"There is one question I need to have an answer to dear." She paused for a beat, seeing if Hexx was planning to object. Hex stayed silent, her electric orbs unwavering. "Did you escape from Itex, or as you may call it, The School?"

Hexx felt her breath catch in her throat. _Oh God No. Don't make me remember… Oh God, I had tried to block that out… Oh Go-_

Her eyes glazed over in warning, before she slumped forward, unconscious.


	3. Freedom

__

****

Mah, I feel bad. I haven't updated this thing since _May_. But yes, here is a new chapter! This is… halfway to the end I think. It's lovely and short this whole story. Might be because it moves too fast but eh, it works this way.

**Oh! A big thank you to The Nemean Lion, DancingSurferSoccerplayer and Strata Of The Travelers for favouriting this story or adding it to their watch. And an even bigger thank you to 5253Racer for commenting~.**

**Standard Disclaimer applies. I own nothing 'cept Hexx, Archer & the others who really didn't appear in the books.**

**

* * *

**

"_Hexx really gone this time Arch?" The black haired boy whose name had been used rolled onto his stomach, green eyes locating the questioner. _

"_Yeah Hav. Hexx went off." The brown haired boy opposite Archer frowned slightly. Why would Hexx leave them? And why didn't she tell him?_

"_Thought Hexx liked Havoc?" He muttered to himself, a bare foot scuffing the floor. Archer felt a scowl crawling across his face but pulled it back. How could Hexx stand this kid?_

"_Hexx __does__ like you Havoc," Archer all but hissed, "She just had to leave before today. Remember what she told you?" Havoc scrunched up his nose and tilted his head to one side. _

"_Hexx gonna die today?" Archer let the scowl form on his face. Distaste dripped off his next words. _

"_Havoc, you're such a retard." Pausing, Archer composed himself. "Hexx __was__ going to die today. She escaped so she wouldn't."Havoc seemed to pause to digest this and Archer held back a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. Pushing himself upwards, Archer looked around at the dungeon they had been shoved in. If he were to sum it up in three words he would have to pick damp, dusty and filled with vermin-that was not him or Havoc. Well, maybe two words and a statement._

_Havoc sighed, catching Archer's attention._

"_Will we ever see Hexx again?" Green eyes softened the smallest amount. _

"_Maybe Havoc… Maybe…"_

_

* * *

_

Hexx sat Indian style on a bed, her electric orbs shut tightly. Her black hair had been piled up in a messy bun as the woman from before stood behind her.

"Do you think you could open them so I could see how they've healed so far?" Hexx hissed slightly, shifting away from the woman. She felt brown eyes looking at her back and took in a deep breath.

Slowly, Hexx stretched out her wings. The older woman felt her breath catch in her throat as Hexx's wings unfurled. Under the florescent lighting of the room the dark feathers shone black, with a dark brown under layer. What surprised the woman mostly though, was the lack of any injuries whatsoever. She had known Max could heal fast because of certain... abilities, but never _this_ fast.

Hexx felt the extra weight from the bone structure of her wings and hunched her shoulders slightly, trying to cope with the extra weight. Thinking of her wings led her to look down at her hands, and the various scars which came from her life. A few stood out the most and she scowled, flexing her fingers.

"Th-That's..." Hexx dropped her scowl and looked over her shoulder at the woman, loose strands of her hair falling into her eyes. The look of shock on her face made Hexx want to draw in her wings again, but she suppressed that urge, shifting to see her better.

"Doctor Martinez? Is something wrong?" Hexx's voice was quiet as before and seemed to snap the Doctor out of her shook. Dr Martinez shook her head, clearing away the last remains of the shock and looking back up to view Hexx. A small smile turned the corner of her lips upwards and Hexx shifted again, beginning to get uncomfortable.

"It's nothing dear. It just astounds me how fast you've healed." Hexx's eyes widened at these words, a fragment of a memory surfacing.

"_You're so full of shit Hexx. You heal like that and we have to suffer for longer. Bitch."_

"_Shut up Arch. You're the one full of shit. __That's__ why you can't heal for jack."_

"Can I leave then?" Hexx asked, putting a bit more volume into her words, "I don't want to be any trouble." She could see Dr Martinez weighing out the options in her mind and held back the hiss which always surfaced when she felt like she was back at..._that place_.

Hexx wrinkled her nose at this thought, her eyebrows creasing. She should stop thinking about it. It wasn't her... '_Home_' anymore and she had no ties whatsoever to that place. Though...

Dr Martinez watched in amusement as Hexx's thought began to wander. Did she realize her expressions changed with every thought she experienced? Her expression bordered on angry becoming smug at the moment. But, soon it shifted to regret and the dark haired woman decided to interrupt her thoughts. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a call from the front door.

"Mom! I'm home!" Instantly Hexx drew her wings tight against her back, her face shifting into a composed mask. Dr Martinez let out a barely audible sigh, looking down to put away the medical equipment she had been planning on using. Hearing the door open, Dr Martinez looked up. The curl of Hexx's black hair was the only warning she had of her leaving the room. Sighing again, the Dr stood, making her own way to the door. How Hexx could be so silent all the time escaped her.

A smile formed on her face however as she met her daughter at the top of the stairs.

"How was your day dear?"

* * *

Hexx took in a shuddering breath, her hands fisting at her sides. Another shuddering breath escaped her, and her blue eyes shut. She had tried so hard... But how do you forget the ones you grew up with?

Leaning back, Hexx reopened her eyes and stared up at the blue sky. Why was she still here? She could have just taken off last night. And the night before. Why had she stayed for almost a week?

"I trust too easily..." Hexx mumbled, the wind taking her words as they left her mouth, "Heh, Arch was right... He was always right..." A soft sigh escaped her lips and she reached up with one hand, splaying her fingers to the sky.

* * *

In a completely different setting a dark haired boy splayed his fingers to the ceiling of his dungeon cell. Green eyes narrowed as he shut his hand in a fist. Pulling his arm back down to his side he rolled to his feet.

"Ngh..." Glaring over at the brown haired boy he was forced to 'room' with, Archer felt his lips turn into a sneer. Why the fuck had they put him in with Havoc? Did they want him to die early? Archer tugged at the band around his wrist but paused when a spark of electricity buzzed around it. Trust the white coats to ruin the one piece of jewellery he could stand.

Archer leaned against the grimy wall behind him, not caring for the state of the previously sterile top and trouser combo he had been provided with. The dirtier it got the better. Maybe he could give them some disease through the damn thing. A small scowl formed on his face then, green eyes turning to the door.

A few minutes later the grate in the door slid open, a horrid screeching noise that woke Havoc from his sleep. Archer kept his head bowed however, his longer than usual black hair effectively hiding his semi open green eyes from view.

"Here's your food, vermin." A voice spat out, a choking growl to the accent. Havoc rubbed his eyes slowly, barely paying attention as an opening at the bottom of the door slid open and a tray of steaming... mush was kicked through. A tense couple of seconds stretched as the Eraser at the door glared in at the captives, waiting for a movement. When none came apart from Havoc letting out a rather long yawn, he growled, snapping the grate shut and storming away.

Havoc tried to stop the grin spreading across his face but failed. Archer only fuelled this grin by giving him a smirk of approval. Rocking to his feet, Havoc clasped his hands behind his back.

"Havoc done good?"

"Hell yeah. Havoc done good."

* * *

"Are you sure about this Hexx?" Hexx let out a silent sigh, turning her head to the sky. Dr Martinez and Ella stood a few steps away, watching her. Hexx looked back at the two and let her self smile slightly. This seemed to reassure them, to Hexx's slight surprise.

"I-I can't stay here forever Doctor…" Hexx spoke, her voice still as quiet as ever. "It's not safe…." Dr Martinez let out a laugh, shaking her head.

"It's never safe when you're in a position like mine. But I understand." Hexx's smile turned into a grin as she took a few more steps away. Her muscles were tense, ready for the weight they would have to hold. Before another word could be said, Hexx spun away, taking a running start before jumping, her wings snapping out from the slits in her jumper. As she pushed down, gaining height quickly, Ella and Dr Martinez let out a silent gasp. They would never get used to that awe-inspiring sight of someone taking flight.

In the air, Hexx held back a cry of delight. She was in the _air_. She was _flying_. Hexx couldn't begin to describe the euphoria she was experiencing at that moment in time. The euphoria was dampened only by the weight which seemed intent on pulling her to the ground.

Hexx grin faded, even as she completed a lazy barrel roll. It would take some time to get used to the world now. To get used to being _free_.


	4. Why?

_**Chapter 4... **_

_**Uh, I have no idea what to say about this one. This was easier to write at the start. Mainly because Archer just hates the world so his input to the story is mostly '**_**Just let me bitch about people and I'll behave**_**'. Everyone else is so complicated. **_

_**And uh, is this really the Flock's first appearance? Well that took a while. I really dislike writing them. They keep doing weird things and making me hate myself. And about the weird 'dream' in the second split... I have no idea what I was writing. Hell, it wasn't even meant to be in this. I just started writing it and then bamn! It fit. **_

_**So thanks to **_**5253Racer**_**, **_**The Nemean Lion**_** and**_** Bird That Flies At Dawn **_**for the reviews. And thanks to **_**blueninja28**_** and **_**kell young**_** for alerting/favouriting respectively. You guys make me happy~.**_

_**Standard Disclaimer applies. I own nothing 'cept Hexx, Archer & the others who really didn't appear in the books.**_

* * *

"Run me through the plan again?" Archer rolled his eyes, leaning back in his cage. Hitting his head on the top, he scowled, leaning forward again. In the cage opposite his a dark skinned male sat, hiding a grin at Archer's fault.

"One last time Scales or I swear to Death I'm gonna-."

"Going to do what?" The black male interrupted, a sly grin covering his face. "You can't do jack shit from over there, and even if you could Hexx would kill ya for trying." Scales let out a laugh as Archer's face contorted into a mask of composed rage. He scratched absentmindedly at the skin of his neck, the rough texture of it making a sickening noise.

"Scales! Pay attention and stop shedding!" Archer all but hissed from his cage, green eyes narrowed in a poisonous glare. Scales grinned sheepishly, dropping his hand. Archer flicked his glare to the other caged occupants of the room, silently daring them to make a noise and attract the Erasers. They all flinched away, save one. Well, she was dead so it hardly mattered.

Before he spoke again, he glanced at the cage next to his. Havoc lay curled in on himself, brown hair stuck to his face with blood, sweat and tears. Multiple cuts covered his bruised and battered form, some still bleeding. _This_ was why they needed to get out. It was one thing for him to take a beating, he was used to it. But Havoc... he had always been protected. Hexx always had his back. _Always_. She took every one of his punishments and made them hers. It was a wonder why she didn't have two sets of wings to boot.

Shaking his head to clear it, he refocused on the matter at hand. His face became a composed mask, a hint of anger still shown in the crease of his brow.

"It's a simple job. Here's what you need to do…"

* * *

Black fire burned. It licked up to the ceiling and curled out the windows.

He should have been screaming.

It snaked around him, up to his waist, and then higher. He could sense it curling in his airways.

He should have been choking.

Burned flesh hung from the ceiling. Flakes fell off the body, into his hands.

He should have been retching.

Arms encircled his waist and he was pulled away. The bodies watched him go, eyes lifeless.

He should have been crying.

He should have been doing _something_! He should have felt those flames! He should have… He could have…

* * *

Archer's eyes snapped open, his breathing irregular. Gods above did his back hurt. He should be used to sleeping in awkward positions by now. That wasn't the issue though. That 'dream' was, and had been for the past few days. Archer didn't reflect on it yet.

He ran a hand through his hair, the greasy strands revolting his cleaner side, and regulated his breathing. His green eyes scanned the room slowly, taking in the sights of the others, fast asleep; or as close as they would ever be without death. He shut his eyes, resting a hand on the cold metal beneath him. There were no scientists or wolf hybrids nearby, so he was safe for a little while.

With this time limit in mind, Archer shifted his position so he sat facing the cage beside him. His eyes were still shut and he forced himself to open them. Havoc's shaking was the first thing he noticed. The tears were second. He hadn't started screaming yet. That was good.

"Havoc?" Archer kept his voice low, constantly aware of the risk of the traitor waking up. He already had enough shit to deal; them exploiting the 'weakness' he had gained once Hexx left would just push him over the edge.

The brown haired boy didn't stir, didn't move. Archer's eyes narrowed. He needed Havoc to wake up, before the dream progressed.

"Havoc…" He reached through the bars of their cages and gripped Havoc's wrist. Sometimes, rarely but _sometimes_, he was glad he was malnourished.

Havoc's eyes shot open this time. His breathing stilled as his grey orbs flitted around him. No fire? He was safe? A tug on his wrist and Havoc was pulled back into the real world. He wasn't safe. And why was someone holding his wrist? Was he going to be taken away? No! They couldn't!

"Havoc." Grey eyes met green and Archer had a flashback to a day almost ten years ago. He shook his head mentally. Not now. Not yet.

"Ar…cher?" Archer swore to himself that the feeling of a weight lifting off of him was only because Havoc hadn't begun screaming and alerted the wolf hybrids. It wasn't relief that he was okay. Please. Archer only felt relief when it came to himself.

"Yeah." Archer paused, his next words sticking in his throat. But he'd say them anyway, because once they found Hexx, Havoc would recount everything that had happened. And he really didn't want to be hit with a bunch of metal. "You okay?"

Havoc stiffened. Was this really Archer? He glanced at his black haired friend again and the trace of annoyance at the lack of answer reassured him. Yeah, it was.

"Havoc's fine." Archer nodded once and withdrew his hand. He couldn't take any more risks.

"Go back to sleep then." Archer's words were final; absolute. Not that Havoc was going to argue. Green eyes watched as Havoc curled into a ball, his breathing evening out almost straight away. Reassurance was a powerful drug.

Archer sighed and then leaned back, careful not to hit his head. He began tracing the bruises along his forearms, thoughts elsewhere. Two weeks… Who'd a thought it? And in a day they'd… No. He wouldn't jinx it. His eyes slid shut, following Havoc off to dream land.

Across the room, tucked into a corner cage, a small figure smiled. Weakness found.

* * *

Hexx sighed, arms curled around her stomach. She didn't have the energy to do this anymore. She had barely made it flying for 3 hours after she left the Dr's house; the gravity pull was too strong. And now, a week later, Hexx wasn't sure if she could keep _walking_, let alone fly.

A low grumble and Hexx groaned, head dropping to her knees. She needed food. And she needed it now. Her muscles had no strength left to carry her body weight. She had been getting dizzy spells that lasted up to ten minutes at a time. If it continued like this Itex wouldn't have to worry about terminating her.

"Oi, bitch." Hexx groaned again. Now? Really? Rolling her head to one side, she blinked blearily.

"What?" Oh god no. A street gang. A bloody street gang. A part of Hexx disappeared, yelling for the wolf hybrids and men with needles to take her away as she realised just how little strength she had left. Could she even stand up?

"You're on our turf."

"Really now?" Hexx would have slapped herself. If she could have lifted her hands. Why did she have to talk back? The gang members snorted, sharing a chuckle.

"Bitch thinks she's smart." One of the side members stepped forward.

"We should teach her a lesson in respect."The glint of a knife caught her eye. Hexx felt her stomach drop.

Shit.

* * *

She gasped, drawing sweet oxygen into her battered lungs. Blue eyes wide open as she arched her back off the ground. Oh gods above did her wings ache. And not just her wings; _everywhere _hurt. She must have been painted with a stunning array of bruises for this amount of pain.

"She's awake!" Hexx froze instinctively at the boy's voice, her breath pausing in her airways. Who was there?

"Angel, can you hear now?" The voice was quiet and female. Hexx dropped, back hitting the floor. Her eyes shut and she tried not to clench her hands into fists. What sort of name was _Angel_? Then again, what sort of name was _Hexx_?

"No..." came the rather forlorn answer to the first question. Hexx breathed out silently; she had to get up soon.

The movement was sudden, and jarred her healing ribs. Mentally cursing, Hexx curled her arms around her waist. She should have taken it a bit slower. She was aware she was being watched, but made no move to make eye contact.

"Are you okay?" Hexx tensed, and then raised her eyes quickly. Her eyes locked onto the speaker, a tall girl of around fourteen years old. Light brown hair fell to her shoulders and into her darker brown eyes. Something tugged at Hexx's memory banks but she pushed it aside, choosing instead to answer the question.

"I'm fine." A splash of confusion crossed the girl's face and she leaned in closer, hands on her hips.

"Say what?" Irritation flared through Hexx's mind. Was she _that_ quiet?

"I'm fine." Hexx repeated at a louder level, hand dropping to her side. Her eyes flicked away from the girl and down to the grass at her feet. A movement caught her attention and her eyes snapped up, locking onto the black dog that had shifted. He sat at the feet of a blue eyed, blonde haired young girl of around six.

"Why?" Hexx asked suddenly, eyes snapping up to the brown haired girl again. The girl blinked, taken aback.

"'Why' what?" Hexx's attention shifted again, this time to the dark haired boy who stood behind the one she had been addressing. A flash of green ran across her mind and she inhaled swiftly, ignoring the searing pain in her ribs. She had to stop remembering.

"Why'd you care?" Hexx turned her face away, words quieter. She wasn't trusting these people. Not yet.

"You were being beaten up by those guys! And you weren't even conscious!" All eyes turned to the dark skinned girl who had spoken up. "We couldn't just leave you there! You could've died! Plus, they had knives and everything!" Hexx blinked once, blue eyes guarded. Really? A reason _that_ simple? Who were these kids?

"Whatever." Hexx pushed off the ground, wincing as several of her bones cracked. Apparently this worried the girl who had first spoken, as she stepped forward.

"You shouldn't move around so much." Her tone held authority, making Hexx want to obey. "Those guys beat you up pretty badly." Hexx focused her eyes on the grass beneath her, trying to string a coherent thought together.

"I've suffered worse…" Hexx finally muttered, turning away from the group. Flashes of memories clouded her brain and she frowned, rubbing her eyes.

"Max, we can't just let her go…" Hexx stiffened, even as the supposed leader-Max-sighed.

"It's her choice Angel." Hexx began walking quicker, her shoulders rising. She couldn't hear them. It was that simple.

Max turned her back on the departing girl and shrugged at her flock. She could understand why the girl refused to listen to them; if she had been in her situation she wouldn't have listened to herself either.

"But Max! She was still injured an-!" Max resisted the urge to frown at Angel and instead stuck her hands in her jacket pockets.

"Yeah but she's a big girl, she can deal with it." She interrupted, using her leader voice. Angel pouted, her blue eyes pleading.

"Max! Hey! She fell down!"

"Huh?" Max spun around to find Gazzy and Nudge running towards the girls fallen form. She had fallen face first into the dirt. The rest of the flock walked over quickly, Iggy kneeling by her side to check for re-opened injuries.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Nudge fidgeted in her place, looking worried.

"I think she just passed ou-" Iggy froze, hand hovering over the girls back. There was a pause and then Angel gasped.

"Ig?" Fang prompted, stepping forward. The blonde pyromaniac seemed to shake himself out of his shock and looked up at Max.

"Guys... She has wings..."


	5. Awkward Wounds

_**Chapter 5, huh... **_

_**Well damn. This thing's almost over. I don't even know how I'm going to start the next chapter, let alone end it. ... That's a lie. I so know how it ends. But how it starts escapes my deranged mind...**_

_**But uh, you get Flock time in this one! Though I'm pretty sure I wrote them OOC, I hope it's ok. Especially Iggy cause... he gets his own damn scene with Hexx and I think my brain was dying when I wrote that. I think my brain was dying when I wrote most of the ending half actually. **_

_**It was just so horribly Awkward. And Hexx needs to train her stomach. And... damn, I forgot Total. Just... he's really quiet? Or was... bonding with the neighbourhood dogs? Something...**_

_**Thanks to **_**Bird That Flies At Dawn**_** for the review~. **_

_**Standard Disclaimer applies. I only own Hexx, Archer, and the ones that really didn't appear in the actual books. **_

* * *

The scent of baking cookies woke her up. Not that she was complaining per se. It was better than waking to the smell of blood or a decomposing experiment the scientists had yet to remove. But that wasn't the matter at hand. Why was she waking up to the smell of cookies?

The last thing she remembered was talking to that girl-what was her name? Max? Yeah, that was it. She had been talking to them and then... she had walked away... and then it went black. Hexx held back a groan and cursed herself internally. Why did she have to be so _weak_ all the time?

Hexx sat up, a wave of dizziness passing over her. She cradled her head in her hands as her vision swam and resisted the urge to collapse back onto the bed she sat on. She felt horrible. Utterly _horrible_.

"Mom! She's awake!" Hexx jumped, head snapping to the doorway where Ella stood, reminiscent of a few weeks previously. Hexx glanced away from Ella's smile and turned her attention to her hands, twisting them in the blanket over her lap.

Bruises decorated her skin, turning it from a pale colour into a sickening mixture of yellows and greens. Hexx frowned lightly, letting go of the blanket in favour of tracing the patterns. Ella sighed from the doorway, and then made her way further into the room. She stood at the foot of the bed and fidgeted slightly, wanting to say something. Hexx glanced at her and then back to her hands.

"She's awake?" Both girls looked to the doorway, a smile lifting the corners of Ella's mouth. Hexx shifted slightly under Dr. Martinez's scrutiny. "How are you feeling dear?"

"... Fine." Hexx mumbled, eyes flicking to the doorway and then the blanket on her lap once more. She didn't want to be here.

"I doubt that Hexx." The tone of Dr Martinez's voice caused Hexx to look up. The dark haired woman was frowning, hands on her hips. Hexx flinched, but didn't look away. "Quite frankly, you're lucky to be alive. You're even luckier Max and the others found you and stopped those boys when they did."

Hexx shrugged, and then sucked in a breath; the movement jarred her wounds. Her eyes flicked over to the doorway once more and her fingers curled tighter around the blanket.

"They can come in if they want." She muttered, a frown on her lips. The other two seemed confused by her words. Ella moved around her mom and to the door, pulling it open with a surprised 'ah'. Dr Martinez glanced at Hexx questioningly before gesturing for the group outside the room to come in.

"I could hear them breathing a mile away." Hexx mumbled shifting under the stares she was receiving. There was a momentary pause and then the girl Hexx remembered as Max opened her mouth to speak.

"Why can't I read your thoughts?" The small blonde from before cut in, looking confused. Everyone looked to her and then to Hexx. The black haired girl blinked, taken aback. The little girl was a mind-reader? Maybe that's what she had been trying to do when Hexx awoke the first time.

"You're a mind-reader?" Hexx asked, stalling. The girl-she must have been Angel-smiled, nodding and causing her curls to bounce.

"So why can't she read your mind?" Max had her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes narrowed into a slight glare. Hexx looked up at her, eyebrows rising at the attempt to intimidate her. She had survived Archer's 'Go-fuck-yourself-and-die-in-a-hole' glare; this girl needed to work a bit harder if she wanted to scare her.

"I dunno." A straight up lie. But like hell was Hexx going to tell them the truth. She only knew two of their names and had no urge to spill her life story to them. Ignoring the disbelieving look Max was sending her, Hexx swung her legs out from under the blanket, wincing at the jolt of pain that went through her.

"Ah, Hexx! You shouldn't be moving around!" Dr Martinez reprimanded, stepping forward. Hexx looked up at her before sighing, twisting her ankle around.

"I don't want to be any more of a burden than I already have been Doctor." Hexx paused, glancing at Max. "And I don't think I'm welcome any more."

To her credit Max didn't flinch at Hexx's words, though her frown deepened. She knew the girl was injured, sure, but she had also come from Itex which would put her mom in even more danger. Besides, if Ella's recount was right then the girl-Hexx if she remembered correctly-could heal quickly.

But... as she moved to stand there was a tightening of her features that spoke of masked pain.

"Max..." The brown haired girl looked over at Nudge's voice and wished she hadn't. She had those 'puppy eyes' trained on her. Glancing around at her Flock, they all seemed to have the same opinion. Max sighed.

Damn them and her hero complex.

"It's fine."

* * *

"God dammit! Move Havoc, move!"Growling Archer shoved the brown haired boy in front of him, green eyes fighting to see through the smoke. The sirens wailing throughout the building did little to mask the frightened sobs escaping Havoc and Archer growled again, hand forming an iron grip around the boy's wrist.

They had found out. They had fucking _found out._ How, he could only guess at, but that wasn't the problem. What they had then done was what annoyed him. They had taken Havoc in for another _fucking_ experiment on his god damn eyes. Hexx was going to have his head.

Archer froze, Havoc stumbling to a stop behind him. Geez. The one promise he ever made to keep and he couldn't.

"Archer!" The yell came from his left and he spun to face it, keeping Havoc behind him. A blonde broke through the smoke, coughing and pulling a young boy after her. Archer relaxed, but kept his iron grip on Havoc.

"What?" he asked, continuing to drag Havoc through the smoke. The blonde followed, the boy she was with jogging to keep up with the pace he was setting.

"The E-hall's down and there's 'xperiments running round _everywhere_! And Scales disappeared god knows where, probably off to see if Death is gonna make a break for it-his due date's tomorrow and all. And I'm not sure if-!" Archer shot a hand out, silencing the girl immediately. The smoke fluctuated around them, threading its way into their lungs. Havoc's choked breathing mixed in with the screams and yells around them and Archer shut his eyes, free hand fisting at his side.

"Candy... take Havoc and run." His jaw was locked and he pushed Havoc towards the blonde, turning to his left. Havoc let out a surprised grunt as he collided with the shorter girl, the younger boy steadying him with one hand.

"Archer?" The black haired boy grunted, mind running through calculations. Why didn't anyone just _listen_ anymore? Was it that hard to take an order at face value and go with it, no questions asked?

"Five Erasers. Two scientists." Archer spun on his heel, shifting his centre of gravity as he did so and flicking a hand at the trio accompanying him impatiently. "Go left after ten paces and keep running. Scales and Death are almost at the meeting point."

Havoc made a noise of protest, grey eyes open and scared. Candy shot a frantic look around, but could see nothing through the smoke. The young boy-Hexx had named him Felix if he remembered correctly-was the only who was willing to listen to Archer's instructions, pulling at Candy's sleeve to get her moving. The blonde started and wound her fingers through Havoc's, with one last glance into the smoke before she walked into the smoke.

As a howl reached his ears Archer scowled, green eyes snapping open and then narrowing into a glare. Time to fight.

* * *

Awkward.

That was the one word floating around Hexx's mind at the current moment. Why had Dr Martinez thought it was a good idea for Hexx and the Flock to have some 'bonding time'? Ella had been sent off to school-hopefully a better one than Hexx imagined-and Dr Martinez was at work which left her stuck in the house with a bunch of experiments she didn't even know the name of.

"Hey, you're names Hexx right?" Blue eyes flicked to the boy who had spoken up. He was second youngest judging from appearance and probably brother to that Angel one.

"Ah, yeah..." Hexx nodded, glancing away out of habit. The dark skinned girl opposite her sat up straighter, face brightening at the start of conversation.

"Your name's so cool! Did you choose it yourself?" Hexx blinked, taken aback slightly by the girls enthusiasm.

"Um, no... Someone gave it to me." Hexx looked away, fiddling with the hem of her jumper.

"Well they have really good taste in names then. I chose my name I think, but I can't remember why I chose it. It's Nudge by the way." Hexx nodded slowly, eyes flicking around the sitting room. Nudge pouted, wanting a response and this got a chuckle out of Max.

"I suppose you need to know our names at least." Hexx fidgeted in her seat, fingers moving to tap restlessly on her legs.

"I guess." Hexx worked up the nerve to actually look at the person addressing her and Max began motioning at the others in the room.

"Right. Well, this little cutie's Angel, and the boy next to her is Gazzy. Nudge introduced herself, and the guy looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth is Iggy, but don't let the innocent front fool you. And then self professed Mr Cool over there is Fang." Hexx's eyes flicked between the faces as they were introduced, setting their appearances to memory. However, when Fang was introduced a flash of green surged in her mind and she gasped, a sudden pain wrenching her heart.

Doubling over, Hexx forced herself to breath, even as she was shot several worried looks. Wrapping an arm around her stomach and raising her other hand to cover her mouth she stood from the sofa. Max voiced a question and Hexx shook her head, almost running from the room. She hated remembering.

"It's nothing!"

* * *

Archer gagged, dark liquid spurting from the Erasers onto his face, into his mouth, making him want to retch. It wasn't even blood -he could stand that- it was _oil_. When the hell had they gotten upgrades into tin cans?

A fist swung at his face, another aimed for his ribs and he ducked, twisting to one side. A knee caught his stomach, he doubled over gasping and winded. Then a hand was yanking his bloodstained hair and his head was snapping up, his neck making an ominous noise. Archer winced, grabbing the arm to loosen the tug. Twisting his body around he used the momentum to hurl the Eraser into the ones approaching.

Another explosion shook the building and Archer forced himself to focus. His breath came in short pants as he moved away from the fight scene. His hand met with a wall and he sagged against it, eyes shutting. He had to make sure the others were out. He kept his promises.

Candy... Havoc... Felix... Death... They were out, good. Hexx would break his legs if they died here. But-why the _fuck _wasn't Scales with them?

A claw raked at his face and Archer yowled, instantly lashing out with a punch. A hand rose to his face and he would have scowled had it not been so damn painful but it was so he settled for growling and lashing out with a kick that most likely hurt him more than them but _damn_ if it didn't make him feel better seeing them get thrown into a wall.

"Archer!"

* * *

Hexx groaned, slouching over the toilet. Her mouth tasted _horrid_. Ugh, she was never, _ever _going to throw up again. What the hell were bulimics thinking? Stomach acid tasted like _shit_. Damn, if she ever started dieting she'd get someone to stab her.

Someone cleared their throat in the doorway and Hexx froze, a flush arising in her cheeks. Turning her head, she saw one of the older Flock members in the doorway, Iggy if she remembered correctly. An awkward pause followed and then Hexx swallowed, pushing away from the toilet.

"Uh..."

"Max wanted to be sure you were okay-well not Max per se, Nudge wanted to be sure-so they sent me to check up on you. Uh, sorry if I wasn't meant to hear that." Hexx blinked and then shook her head.

"It's fine. I... I just felt a bit sick." A smile twitched the corners of Iggy's mouth upwards.

"Yeah, Fang's face tends to do that to people." Hexx smiled, standing up from her position on the floor. She stepped forward, and then frowned.

"Damn it." Iggy's smile turned to confusion and he looked to where he had heard the curse from.

"What's wrong?" Hexx's frown deepened and she tilted her head to look up at Iggy. Oh, he _was_ blind. Somehow that just made it worse. Her stomach twisted again, but she pushed the feeling away.

"You're taller than me by like, a whole head." Iggy smirked at Hexx's words and he turned to leave the doorway. A chuckle escaped his lips as he spoke over his shoulder.

"Guess that means I can call you Shorty now."

"Don't you dare!"

* * *

Archer tore down the hallways of the School, jumping over the fallen bodies without a second thought. Scales had taken his place in the fight and normally that would piss him off. But not now. This was probably his last chance to escape. The black list of extermination candidates would be full by the time clean up began.

He had no problems thinking he'd be number one on the list.

Scales did however. Which was why he'd forsaken his freedom to let Archer go. A scowl began to crawl across his face but was stopped by the shockwave of pain it sent through the still bleeding wounds on his skin.

"_Archer, I swear to whatever fucking deity you believe in that if you don't leave these pieces of shit to me I'll rip your intestines out myself! How the hell do you expect any of us to tell Hexx we let you die? Who the hell's gonna take care of Havoc?"_

Then, he was outside. The smoke was clearing and he kept running, heading for where he knew the others were. A lingering Eraser tried to claw at him but a swift kick to the groin knocked him out.

"I don't have time for this bullshit."

With all the grace of a wounded hyena, Archer slammed into the next obstacle, knocking them both over. Panting, he scrambled to his feet. Blood blocked the sight of his left eye but he didn't need it to see where he had to go.

Out the hole in the fence. Five metres left of his current position. Straight into the woods, two metres from the hole. And then left, right, straight on. Casting a thought back, he smirked, Scales had finished with the Erasers and there was a clear path for him to make it out.

Only because Archer had worn them down first. _And_ cleared the way.

"Archer!" Stumbling to a stop, the black haired escapee looked up, a smirk on his lips. They'd made it out. Havoc, Candy, Felix, even Death. It was a shame about the twins but... He had a crew to lead. He'd remember them later.

"It's good to be free."


	6. Mix and Match Flock

_**I'm sorry this is majorly late. It's just so that so much wanted to be put into it and damn, it wouldn't write itself unless I added it. **_

_**So this was meant to be the last chapter but... nah. There are loose ends and a cliff hanger to tie up. So... I lied. This is the penultimate chapter. (I think). Anyway, this chapter goes through a whole lot of stuff, and at a pace. I can't seem to stick to one pace for this story, or one group to tail. Lots of switching from the Flock+1 to Archer. Mah. Hopefully the end chapter will be up before New Years. Hopefully. **_

_**And I really suck at including Total. I might just edit him out of the one chapter he appeared in. I keep forgetting him. Let's just say he fell ill and stayed at Dr M's place, okay?**_

_**Thanks to **_**Bird That Flies At Dawn**_** for the review~. **_

_**Standard Disclaimer applies. I only own Hexx, Archer, and the ones that really didn't appear in the actual books. **_

"You always attract the weird ones, don't you?" Fang sent a silent glare at Max, and the other kids tried to cover their laughter, less they alert their 'stalkers' that they knew they were there. Hexx cast a glance back over her shoulder and had to hide a grin in her hand.

"They've moved tables." That one statement had Iggy snorting into his drink, Gazzy choking on his food, Maxx fighting her laughter, and Nudge and Angel giggling into their hands. Fang continued to glower silently at a spot on the cafe wall.

They had left Dr Martinez's around a week after Max had given Hexx her seal of (wary) approval. At first it had been hard, and not to mention awkward, tagging along with a group she had no real place in. And it had been hard to dodge the question of _why_ she couldn't fly for longer than even the younger kids without arousing suspicion, but a few half-lies and no mind reading worked wonders.

"_Seriously? Even Angel's fine and she's been carrying Total for the past half hour." Hexx looked away, trying not to focus on the burning pain in her shoulder blades. _

"_Yeah well... my wings were clipped a while ago. They're still recovering." _

Sympathetic looks and she was set. And it wasn't like it was a full blown _lie_ or anything. Her wings had been clipped (admittedly, she had been around 7 at the time) and truth be told, she really did think they were still recovering. So all she'd really done was tweak time lines in her head. No foul.

Sipping at her drink while the _oh-so-subtle_ teasing of Fang continued, Hexx cast her thoughts back on the past two or so weeks. They had been fun, she could admit. But... something was still missing. A flash of black hair and green eyes passed through her mind, followed by another image of brown hair and grey eyes, and she let out a silent sigh around her straw.

If her brain didn't stop thinking soon, she'd shove a fork into her eyeball.

..._ WHAT?_

Gagging mentally, Hexx erased that thought from her mind. If-_When_ she next saw Archer she was going to kick him. _HARD_.

A few moments of teasing later, and Max was ushering them out of the cafe. A mutter of how they _'had to keep moving_' was the given reason, but a glance around the group had the real reason laid out clearly for Hexx. _Max was jealous_.

Fang dropped one of his arms around Max's shoulders and smirked, questioning her motives. The dark haired girl flushed, ducking away from his arm and sending him a rather watered down glare. Hexx barely paid attention to the conversation flowing around her. It didn't feel right. And deep down she knew why but she wasn't ready to go back there yet. So when Nudge began to talk to her, she merely smiled and tried to listen.

Felix hadn't made it. _Another_ death he'd have to explain. Fuck, the twins' death had been hard enough to explain and they had all known what was happening at the time. Ugh, she was gonna be _pissed_.

"You always attract the weird ones, don't you?" Candy flushed, the red looking burned onto her pale cheeks. Scales let out a stuttering laugh at her blush; loud enough to attract questioning stares, but it wasn't as if he cared anyway. Archer slumped down in his seat, hood up and giving off an aura that read '_come near me and I'ma stab you_'. Yes, his aura was childish. No, he didn't care. Havoc glanced up at the laugh, but returned to breaking apart his muffin without comment, Death watching with an amused smile from across the table.

"Shuddap Scales!" The younger girl's anger only seemed to amuse Scales further and he let out another laugh, making Death and Archer send him a glare.

"Seriously Scales, _shut up_." Scales immediately sobered up, a sheepish grin on his features.

"Sorry Arch." Archer rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the others in the cafe. A nice little circle of free seats had formed around their group and this amused Archer somewhat, lifting a little of his anger off his shoulders.

Glancing around the group, Archer couldn't help but see why. They were all still healing from the wounds of their escape. Scars on show or hidden, Archer's own wound was enough to put the frights in anyone. Three long wounds ripped down the left side of his face, surprisingly missing his eye, but still tearing up his skin pretty badly. Sure it would heal, but the scars would still be there whenever he looked in the mirror.

With a glance at the clock above the doorway Archer let out a sigh, pushing back from the table. The group looked up at him, Havoc frowning when he wouldn't meet his gaze.

"C'mon, we still have stuff to do." His words were quieter than usual-he didn't want to irate his wound-though still laced with his ever present tone of authority. Making a snarky comment on Archer's subdued tone Scales rose to his feet, offering Candy a hand up. Archer growled at him, but turned and headed for the door regardless. Havoc laughed, even as Death sent a worried glance between the two. He hadn't been around the two daily, so he wasn't used to the fights. Havoc on the other hand had and just saw it as another form of entertainment.

"They don' mean anythin' by the teasin' D." Candy clarified as they left the cafe, Scales speeding up to share some more banter with their unofficial leader. Death looked over, raising his eyebrows in a silent question. "It's their way of testin' each other. You know, makin' sure they're still sane an' all."

Death's mouth formed a small 'o' as realization sunk in and Havoc laughed again, before initiating a conversation with Candy over the cafe's food. The silent boy looked to the two they had fallen behind and he couldn't help but smile when Archer swung a fist at the back of Scales' head. Testing each other? Yeah, he could live with that.

Hexx slammed into a doorway, wings protesting at her back. Before she could recover a fist was swinging at her face. She ducked then swung a kick towards the Erasers stomach, causing them to double over. Without pause she drove her knee into his face. A sickening crack sounded but Hexx was already swinging a punch at another Eraser.

A few moments later had Hexx tumbling to the ground, her lip split and bleeding. She licked at it, wincing at the stab of pain and then rolling to the side as a fist slammed towards her head. The ground shook beneath her and she winced, _thank god that hadn't met its mark_. A kick sent the Eraser slamming into a wall and Hexx looked up at Fang thankfully.

"Don't thank me just yet." She nodded, rolling to her feet and blocking a fist headed for his head. A nod was sent her way and she smiled slightly before throwing herself back into the fight with renewed vigour.

A fist slammed into her eye, and she let out a growl of pain, retaliating with a punch directed at his ribs. It connected with a nauseating snap and Hexx grabbed the fur at the back of his head, slamming his face into the ground.

Suddenly she found herself falling forwards, pain surging up her spine. She spun around, stumbling and barely dodged a clawed swipe at her face. Just as she was about to lash out, a yell rang out;

"Fire in the hole!"

"I saw we're lost."

"I say you're full o' shite."

"Do I look like I care what you think?"

"Do I look like I care wha' _you_ thought in the first place?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"What are you deaf as well as an idiot?"

"Try saying that to my-"

"Will the both of you just **shut up?**" Instant silence fell on the camp at Archer's growl. They had thought the black haired boy asleep, which was most likely why Death had let the argument escalate unchecked.

Slowly Scales and Candy turned to face Archer, dread settling in the pit of their stomachs. The black haired boy sat at the edge of the clearing they had claimed, facing away from the group. Slouched against a tree, it was no wonder they had thought he wouldn't hear.

"Ar-"

"Scales, **shut up**." The dark skinned boy cringed away from Archers tone. No-one spoke, trying to keep their breathing as quiet as possible. Havoc bit his bottom lip, looking between everyone in worry. When Archer got like this it was never good. Hexx was the only one who could ever calm him down and... She wasn't here.

"I honestly don't care if you think we're lost. At this moment in time, you could all fucking _die_ and **I wouldn't care**." Havoc flinched, a whimper escaping him. Death laid a gloved hand on his shoulder, but kept a worried gaze on Archer. "You aren't the ones who have to run **blind** back and forth because some _fucking bitch _can't stay in one place. You just follow the path _I_ lay out, thinking it takes no work whatsoever for me to do it."

Candy turned to shoot a frightened glance over to Scales, but was stopped by a hand holding her chin.

"**Look at me Candy. Do I look like I care?**" Candy shook, blue eyes wide with fear. Barely three centimetres from her face Archer's face was a blank canvas, none of his normal irritation or annoyance shown. It was his eyes though. His eyes were like acid, burning with a rage she had only seen once before.

"A-Arch-"

"Archer you're scaring her!" In an instant Archer was in front of Scales, hand over his mouth.

"_Shut __**up**__ Scales_**.**" Death flashed a glance over at Havoc who was shaking under his hand. Tears escaped the corners of his grey eyes and Death frowned but kept silent. Archer's wrath was a terrible thing to incur. "Right now, I have no idea why I haven't _killed the lot of you_."

"**Because Hexx wouldn't want that**!" Havoc pulled free of Death's grip, still crying but glaring at Archer all the same. Archer froze, and Scale watched the fire in his eyes die out. Just like that. With one measly name.

"..._what?_"

"Hexx wouldn't want you threaten Candy or Scales or kill any of us! Hexx would want to see you lead properly!" Havoc yelled, wings spread and flapping in agitation. Archer let his hand drop from Scales mouth and turned away. When he next spoke, his voice was defeated.

"..._she isn't here now is she?_"

Hexx leant back against a tree, letting her wings relax around her. The muscles in her shoulders pulled and then relaxed as well, the strain pulled off of them for a while. She stretched her legs out before her, absentmindedly running a finger over her knuckles. A little ways off the Flock sat spread out in a rough circle but she made no move to join them. Max had been shooting her suspicious looks since the end of their last Eraser encounter. It may have had something to do with the skull she crushed with a kick but Hexx wasn't one to jump to conclusions.

Looking over her shoulder, Hexx frowned into the forest. She had the oddest sensation of being watched. But not _physically_, more a sort of presence sat awkwardly on the edge of her consciousness. It was a rather disturbing sensation.

"Hexx?" Startled, Hexx spun around. Gazzy looked down at her, confusion leaking into the edges of his blue eyes. Hexx slapped herself mentally. _Oh yeah, just act really shifty while checking over your shoulder every three seconds. Brilliant way to lessen Max's suspicions of you_.

"Uh, yeah? What d'ya want Gazzy?" The blonde looked hesitant but answered regardless.

"Angel wanted to talk to you. And well it would be nice if you sat with the rest of us and stuff y'know..." Hexx bit back the retort on the tip of her tongue-_think of him like Havoc darling, Havoc_-and nodded. Pushing herself up, she walked over, Gazzy silent at her side. A jolt of pain shot through her spine as she sat down again, but that had more to do with the extra weight than actual injuries.

"So what did you want Angel?" Hexx knew the rest of the Flock were listening. Well, she was certain Max was, and Nudge too. Gazzy and Iggy had a bit more tact but she was kinda certain they were listening too. Fang... well he was 'talking' with Max and since she was listening it was to be assumed he was as well.

"Why can't I read your thoughts?" No beating around the bush then. Hexx raised her shoulders to shrug, but thought better of it when Max faced her with a glare, dropping them with a sigh.

"We've let you travel with us, without knowing a thing about your past. It's the _least_ you could tell us." Hexx pushed down the scowl that wanted to surface at Max's words and took a calming breath. They weren't asking to be mean, they just wanted to know.

"I-... That is..." Hexx trailed off, irritated at her own lack of words. Why was it so hard to tell them? Sighing through her nose, Hexx raised a fist. Ignoring the confused looks she was now receiving she concentrated on what she wanted. With that concentration and several twinges of pain, the skin over her knuckles split and the bone-no, _metal _underneath slid out until they formed claws about 5 centimetres long.

A stunned silence settled, broken only by Gazzy muttering to Iggy what had happened and his subsequent "_damn_". Hexx left her face eerily blank as she looked at the claws, hating the memories they brought back.

"_It's a success! Experiment Five-Zero-Seven-Six-Ex has taken to the infusion!"_

_The world spun in a sickening mess of up and down and left and why did she feel so __heavy__? _

"_If you don't fucking speed up right now, I'm gonna leave you the fuck behind."_

_The claws tore her skin, straight through, and-oh my fucking god __**what was that**__ where her bone was meant to be?_

"_Experiment Five-Oh-Zeven-Six-Ex has fallen behind. Shock treatment."_

Death shot up, heart racing. He sucked in a deep breath and raised a hand to his forehead. Focus. He needed to focus. Slow his heart back to barely there. He looked at the grass beneath him, and frowned when he realised it had died. _This_ was why he didn't like sleeping. He killed everything he touched. _Hexx had been very imaginative with his naming._

The circle of dead grass began to spread and he stopped his thought process, knowing it wouldn't help. Instead, he cast a glance around the clearing they had taken over for the night, making sure everyone was present. Everyone was-wait... Where was Havoc? Death sat up straighter, dark eyes searching the area more thoroughly.

Hang on a minute, wasn't Archer meant to be on watch? Where was _he_? A noise sounded from just past the tree line and he shifted, already moving to remove his glove. When nothing stepped forward, he narrowed his eyes, leaning towards the area it had come from to get a better look. When he registered what was there, he let a small smirk spread across his face.

Archer had a heart after all.

Hexx walked a few steps behind the Flock, head downcast. She had gone and explained everything. _Everything_. Well, actually, that was a lie. She had explained the experiment on her skeletal structure, sure. But then she had gone mute for the rest of the day. Tch, like she was really going to spill her life story to a bunch of kids who could be captured at any moment and their memories picked for traces of renegade experiments.

Life had made her a cynical bitch.

But that wasn't the issue. The issue was that tiny, little; _persistent_ voice at the edge of her consciousness that wouldn't leave her alone. She recognized it, but only with the sort of recognition one feels to a face long forgotten and then seen again.

"Hexx! Come and look at this!" At Nudges' call Hexx sped up slightly to stand next to her at the shop front. It was an electronic store. Hexx glanced inside and then back to Nudge.

"What am I meant to be looking at?"

"Man, you're just like Max!" Hexx opened her mouth to respond but Nudge carried on without pause. "Look at that TV. The big one. See that guy? He's _really_ popular right now cause of this talent show, _America's Got Talent_-which we should so go one because we have _loads_ of talent obviously! Do you think we should? Cause Max says it would be like putting up a big sign for Itex, but you have to admit it would be fun. And that guy can't be better than us obviously and I think-"

Hexx blinked twice and then simply nodded, leading Nudge away from the store front. It was an odd sensation being talked at, but not one she was unfamiliar with. Lord, if she kept seeing links to her family she'd have a break down.

"Do you trust her?" Max started at the question, whipping around to face Fang with a glare.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" She hissed. Fang didn't respond, raising one eyebrow slightly before sliding his gaze over to where Max had been staring while he walked up to her. Hexx sat leaning against a tree, wings loosely open around her and Nudge sat beside her, talking a mile a minute. Hexx seemed to actually be keeping up with what Nudge was saying, and adding to the conversation.

"Do you?" Maxx sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the pair and then shrugging.

"Yes and no. I mean, she hasn't done anything to make me distrust her so far, but... I can't help but feel like she's not telling us something." Fang nodded mutely, still watching the two across the clearing. Nudge seemed to like her, but Nudge liked everybody. And there was a slight feeling, just on the edge of his consciousness that said something was going to happen, and soon.

Archer continued to run, eyes closed and focusing on the co-ordinates in his mind's eye. Fuck. Three miles. _Three_ fucking _miles_. And he had to run in the opposite direction because everyone else was so bloody **slow**.

"Archer!" Whoa, sudden stop and the world swum in to focus when he opened his eyes. And he turned to his crew, a smirk itching to be let out. Havoc bounded over to him, grin already brightening his tanned face. For once Archer didn't snap at the kid.

"Havoc thought you said it was gonna take at least ten minutes, but it's only been three. But Havoc's not complaining or anything!" All rounded off with a megawatt grin. Archer repressed the part of him that wanted to snap at him to talk in the first person-_kid would never learn anyway_-and instead focused on keeping his face neutral.

"Something came up." Scales' eyes narrowed at the answer provided, warning bells beginning to sound in his mind. '_Something_' was rarely a good word when it came out of Archer's mouth. He shared a glance with Candy, and she nodded.

"What sor' a somet'ing?" Candy prompted, leaning forward slightly. Archer shrugged, not making eye contact with any of them. Havoc pouted, rocking back on his heels and crossing his arms over his chest.

"No fair Archer! Tell us!" A smirk curled the black haired boy's lips and he lent forward, so he was eye level with Havoc. His left eye was slightly clouded over, and a pang of regret hit him, but he pushed it away quickly. He didn't feel regret. _He could get punished for that later._

"You really wanna know?"

"Havoc really, _really_ wants to know!" Okay, Candy was getting worried. Archer was _teasing_ Havoc. That in itself wasn't too strange, but the fact that it was friendly teasing was a worry inducing factor. She moved as if to stand but Archer's next words froze her.

"Hexx. Four miles North-North-East."

Night had fallen a few hours ago, but Hexx couldn't fall asleep. Every time she shut her eyes she could see her family. She had no idea if they were alive or not, and being with the Flock wasn't helping. Damn, they _cared_ about each other so openly it hurt to watch. She could just see Archer spitting curses if he was put in Max's position.

Hexx snorted at the thought and sat up, running a hand through her hair. Ugh, she really wanted to cut it. But she had promised Havoc she wouldn't. Havoc... Damn, Archer better be looking after that boy.

"Hexx?" Her heart stopped for a moment, then relaxed when she placed the voice. It was just Iggy. She turned slightly so she could see the blind boy.

"What is it Iggy?" He snorted, a frown turning down his lips.

"I should be asking you that. You haven't even fallen asleep yet." Hexx sighed looking away. "Something wrong?" The dark haired girl poked at her knuckles, deciding whether or not to tell him. It wouldn't hurt to tell _someone_. And Iggy was nice so if she asked, he probably wouldn't bring it up again.

"I... You know how the Flock is your family, blood relations or no?" Iggy nodded and Hexx sucked in a breath. "Well, back at the place I came from, I was part of a 'Flock' of sorts..."

Candy was _buzzed_. As in one step away from a complete _high_ sort of buzzed. Screw the fact that it was after dark and she was shining like a freaking fairy light, she was freaking ecstatic. They were gonna get Hexx back.

"Candy, as excited as you may be, can you try _not_ to blind us?" Startled, the blonde tripped, her light dimming slightly. She pushed herself off the ground with a spluttered curse and glared up at Scales.

"Couldn't ya wait until there weren't a tree in front a me Scales?" Said boy chuckled, offering her a hand up.

"Candy, I love ya and all but Karma's a bitch. I've almost run into three separate trees because of your glow and Death's killed two. Havoc's plain lucky he has Archer guiding him." Candy accepted the hand up with a sheepish smile, trying to dim her excitement.

"Sorry, I'm jus' buzzed about this 'ole thing."

"You keep being buzzed and I'll leave you _both_ the fuck behind." Havoc tugged on Archer's hand, annoyed at the swearing and impatient to see Hexx again. Archer glanced over his shoulder and his lips set into a thin line. Damn. As much as Hexx was gonna love the fact he got Havoc out alive, his eyesight was a major problem.

He looked around the group he had been in charge of for most of his wasted life and smirked. Hexx could bitch all she wanted. He had gotten them out as best he could. So what if Felix had died? At least the kid got to see actual _natural life_ before he died. So what if the twins weren't here? They were never going to make it past ten, no matter what they all had wanted to believe. And so what if Havoc was practically blind in his left eye now? He was still breathing weren't he? Wasn't that enough?

"How much further Archer?" Death asked, hands in the pocket of the hoodie he wore. Archer's eyes shut briefly and the tension in the air increased by the second.

"One and a half miles."

"... and that's basically my story." Iggy nodded slowly, deep in thought. Hexx let out a sigh, letting her head drop to one side. Well, at least one good thing came out of that conversation. That little voice had disappeared... To be replaced with freaking _jackhammers_ ramming against her skull.

_**SNAP**_

What was that?

Hexx's head snapped up, blue eyes narrowed at the trees. There had been a snapping noise. From a distance but definitely not that of an animal. A person then?

"Do you miss them?" Hexx had to force herself to remember what exactly Iggy was talking about. Oh yeah, she hadn't actually mentioned any of her _own_ feelings.

"Well, yeah..."

"_**I ca-...earing!"**_

"If you ask, Max might help you look for them y'know."

"You want me t-

"_**Candy, stop blinding me!"**_

"Did you hear that?" Iggy and Hexx asked at the same time, their levels of awareness both increasing. They stood up; both looking in the direction the yell had originated from. A light shone in the distance, making Hex squint.

"Can you see anything?"

"There's a light heading-Oh God!" Hexx stumbled backward, tripping over Nudge in the process. No way. _No __**fucking**__ way_. Nudge grumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Iggy glanced at where he heard Hexx land, confusion on his face.

"Wha's going on?" Nudge slurred, sleep coating her words. Hexx shook where she sat, eyes wide.

"_**HEXX!**_" Two bodies slammed into her at once, causing her to hit her head off the ground. At the yells, the Flock were shocked awake, shooting to their feet and looking for an attacker.

Laughter reached their ears, and their eyes landed on the pile that covered Hexx. A brown haired boy and a blonde girl clung to the teen, laughter spilling out of their lips alongside sobs. Light flickered from the girl, causing spots to flicker in front of the Flock. Apprehension and confusion settled over the Flock while the two newcomers choked on their cries of '_We missed you!_'. Max opened her mouth to question Hexx but was cut off before she could speak.

"_Pathetic_." Scales reached over and slapped Archer's arm, earning himself a glare. Death shook his head at their antics, stepping forward and ignoring the group who were watching them.

"Candy, Havoc, it would be best if you didn't kill Hexx right after we caught up with her..." The two immediately pulled back, Candy's light dimming to tolerable levels.

"We're sorry Hexx!" Hexx sat up, gasping for breath. Without pause she pulled the two back into a hug. Screw breathing, she had her babies back.

"It really _is_ you lot! Shit!" Havoc laughed, winding his arms around her waist and tucking his head into the crook of her neck. Candy flared up again, squealing as she returned the hug.

"_Candy_! Turn off the lights god damn it!" Scales snapped, hand over narrowed eyes. Candy stuck her tongue out at him over her shoulder but did as requested.

"Wait up, what's going on here?" Attention from the group shifted from Hexx to Max at her question. Havoc shrugged before turning back to hugging Hexx. Candy glanced between the members of the Flock quickly, before looking to Archer. Death stepped back so he was behind Archer and turned his attention to the grass below his bare feet while Scales merely sized Max up before snorting.

"'Bout as scary as a newborn kitten." Archer smirked in agreement, crossing his arms over his chest as Max and the Flock bristled at the insult.

"Did you go out of your way to find the weakest group you could Hexx?" Hexx didn't respond to the insult, too focused on the scar across Archers face. What the hell had happened? "What, you turned mute as well as stupid bitch?" _This_ Hexx heard.

"Shut the hell up Archer." Blue eyes narrowed in a glare when Archer turned his attention away from her and to the Flock. Archer _never_ backed down from a fight. What had happened?

"Are you just going to glare at me all day, or can you bark too?" Archer asked, sneering at Max. Max all but snarled, stepping forward.

"Look, I don't know who the _hell_ you are, and quite frankly I don't _care_. But don't think you can just swan in here and treat us like some sort of-"

"Walking experiment?" Archer interrupted, smirking when Max froze. Hexx stood, Havoc still hugging her.

"Archer, stop picking fights." Archer glanced over to Hexx and then away to the tree line when he spotted Havoc. _Shit_. Now he felt annoyed at himself. "Apologize to the Flock. _Now_." Hexx prompted, letting Candy step over to stand by Scales. Archer glared at the trees.

"Alright, they aren't walking experiments." Hexx snorted at the half assed apology, running a hand through Havocs as he began muttering against her skin.

"Wait, _this_ is the Archer you were talking about?" Iggy asked, eyebrows raised in confusion. Hexx glanced over at him with a smile on her lips.

"Yeah. Told you he was a piece of work didn't I?" Max looked between the two and the anger she felt at her own confusion was almost tangible. Then Angel spoke up.

"Max, they just want Hexx back." Scales frowned, _how the hell did she know that?_ **I'm a mind reader**. Scales jumped, taking a step back. Angel smiled sweetly at him.

"Well, you meet someone new every day." He muttered, shrugging it off. Wasn't the first time he had met a mind reader, but she had to be the most forward with her powers.

"So hold up a moment," Max raised a hand to her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "You know these... _people_, Hexx?" Hexx suppressed the part of her that wanted to snap at Max. Where did she get off insulting her family like that? And of course she knew them. Geez, she didn't let just _anyone_ hug her.

"Yeah." Archer glanced at Hexx at the short answer and Scales voiced the question that all of them were thinking.

"What the hell happened to _you_?" Hexx rolled her eyes. Really?

"Obligations happened Scales." Then turning back to Max she continued, "These lot are my family. Like your Flock but more mix and match."

"Way ta make us sound like rejects Hexx." Candy pouted, flicking her hair out of her eyes.

"Cutest reject to walk the earth Candy." Hexx called over, making the blonde beam at her. The kid was so easy to please. Max shared a glance with Fang and Hexx took this time to get a better look at Havoc.

His hair had grown longer, now brushing his shoulders and falling over his ey... What had happened to his eye? Hexx froze and Havoc realised a second too late that he should have kept his eyes shut so Archer didn't get into trouble. Anger began to roll of Hexx in waves, and Scales, Death and Candy all took a few steps away from Archer to prolong their lives.

"Archer, what the _fuck_ did you let them do to my baby?"

"Don't put all the fucking blame on me! I ain't his bloody keeper!"

"You're as good as when I'm not around! You made a fucking oath!"

"Who gives a fuck? He can still _see_ bitch!" Hexx growled and launched herself at Archer. The dark haired boy growled back, stepping out of range and launching a kick at the back of her head. Hexx fell forward, but spun on the ground, grabbing Archer's leg and throwing him into the trees. Without pause she was off the ground and launching herself into the trees after him.

Stunned silence over fell those left behind, broken only by the noise of fighting and trees falling down. Then, Havoc fell to his knees.


	7. Some Other Time

He was crying. In between his sobs, murmurs of _sorry_ could just be made out. Scales huffed out a breath, scratching absently at the scales on his neck. Candy bit her lip in worry, glancing between the area the fight was taking place in and the now crying boy. Death was the only one who stepped forward, crouching next to Havoc.

"It's not your fault Havoc... Archer and Hexx just... have to test each other." Candy felt a smile pull at her lips despite her worry over Archer's safety and the sadness Havoc felt. He _had_ been paying attention.

Max raised a hand to rub her temples. This whole thing was giving her a headache and she really needed more sleep before her brain even began functioning at normal speed.

"Could someone _please_ explain what's going on?"

Archer bit back a cry of pain, feeling bark dig into his still healing scars. Was the girl _trying_ to kill him? Growling, he grabbed the branch and tugged, pulling Hexx closer to him. His knee connected with her stomach and she doubled over, winded. Archer yanked on her hair, using it to spin her around so he could deliver a kick to her back.

Hexx stumbled to the floor, coughing to recover her breath. Fuck, her emotions were getting the better of her. But she couldn't help it. Havoc was like her baby brother. Never mind the fact that he was most likely older than her, he was part of her family and so she felt she had every right to beat Archer up. Even if Archer was part of her family as well.

Grunting as she spun away from another kick aimed for her stomach, Hexx forced the knuckles on her left hand open. She swiped at Archer and he sucked in his stomach to avoid the metal, his top getting sliced regardless.

"Bitch!" He might have actually _liked_ that top.

"You wish!" Oh, so it was _that_ game now, was it?

"You mention my fucking genes one more time, and I swear to whichever Deity cares that I'll throw you off a cliff." He watched as Hexx merely snarled at him, circling her warily. Words spilled from her lips, but he wouldn't listen to them. He _couldn't_.

And then one word broke through the blur.

_Havoc_.

And Archer snapped.

Max wanted to go back to sleep. Really badly. Maybe then this whole thing would blow over, and she could go back to the relatively headache free life of _before Hexx_.

"Tha's so freaking cool! How d'ya keep lookin' a' me like tha'?" Candy hadn't stopped talking since Havoc had recovered, and she was running a commentary on every little thing. Nudge had found a kindred spirit in it and was happily explaining everything Candy questioned about.

Scales had just spent the last few minutes explaining exactly what they were there for as simply as he possibly he could to her and really, Max had just accepted it with a sigh. She leant against a tree, at a distance from the others and brooded, wondering why Hexx had kept them a secret. She obviously wasn't ashamed of them if her previous actions were to be listened to. So why?

Scales fidgeted where he stood, eyes casting around the area repeatedly. Damn, what was Archer doing to that girl? They needed her back so she could stop Havoc creating these goddamn waves of empathy. Tch.

"Death, _calm him down_." The dark haired boy flashed him a glare from over the scarf he wore. What did the damn snake _think_ he was trying to do?

"That's a bit hard to do with Havoc _passed out_ and all." Scales was about to retort when-

"Play nice boys. And pull your sleeves down Death." Hearts weren't meant to stop that fast. Damn, it had been awhile since he had heard _that_ leader voice.

"Hexx!" Candy spun on her heel at Scales' shout, and beamed, running over mid sentence. Nudge pouted; Candy was fun to talk to and their conversation had been interesting. Iggy almost collapsed with relief, causing Gazzy to laugh. Candy got excited over _everything_.

Hexx caught Candy as the blonde jumped at her and had to shut her eyes as her skin began glowing once more. Candy forced the glow down, though her smile was bright enough.

"Were you two trying to kill each other?" Max asked, surprise written all over her face at Hexx's condition. Hexx seemed confused, and then glanced down at herself. A forced smile formed on her face.

"Why's your lip split?" Candy asked before Hexx could answer, almost causing her smile to slip.

"Oh, me and Archer were just _sparing_." The level of fake cheer in her voice was slightly worrying and Scales glanced over Hexx's shoulder.

"If that's so, where's Archer at?"

"Holding his balls."

_Hexx found herself slammed against a tree, wings protesting against her back. Archer's hands held onto her shoulders, forcing her to stay still. The blue eyed girl glared up at him, a snarl beginning to escape her. _

"_What the hell Archer?" _

"_Is Havoc all you think about? Him and Candy and Death and Scales? Are they? All you ever talk about is your fucking _babies_! What about me? Where do I fit into this? Do you ever even think about _me_?" Hexx wanted to reply, really she did. But how could she reply that the only reason she kept talking about them was to _stop_ thinking about _him_? Her chance at a reply was cut off though with Archer's next action. _

_His lips slammed against hers with a bruising force, and for a moment, Hexx forgot how to breathe. It was rough and raw and so hugely Archer, that for the briefest of seconds, Hexx found herself giving in. And then she felt teeth on her bottom lip, biting down, breaking the moment._

_Sense coming back to her, Hexx did the only thing she could think of. Her knee hit home and Archer pulled back, frozen in pain._

Scales was the first to speak up after Hexx's rather _flavoured_ account of the aftermath of her and Archer's fight.

"I'm sure that constitutes as rape."

Candy spluttered incoherently at this statement, and there was a surge of noise from everyone. Hexx let Candy drop to the floor and shook her head.

"Look, it's nothing serious. Just let-"

"Nothing serious?" came Nudge's indignant yell, "He sexually assaulted you! How can that _not_ be serious?" Hexx forced herself not to flinch, instead casting a glance at Scales. The dark-skinned teen nodded, clapping his hands to draw attention to himself.

"It's not serious, because quite frankly, it was a kiss. We've been through worse alright?" Maxx felt a pang of _something_ stir in her chest. They couldn't mean-? But with the way Candy's eyes flitted away, and with how Death (_why the hell was that even his name?_) seemed to curl in on himself, she couldn't think of another answer. A glance at her flock saw realization dawn in their faces, and she spoke up before it got anymore out of hand.

"Alright. But for now, why don't we settle for some more shut-eye and talk about all of-_this_," she paused, waving a hand towards the newcomers, "in the morning. We're running on about two hours of sleep as it is." The grateful look Hexx sent her caused her to smile slightly, and she silenced any protests from the Flock with a look. She had a headache, and was going to end up yelling at someone if she didn't get rid of it soon.

"_Keep quiet for god's sake Scales!"_

"_Well, sorry! Havoc does weigh _something_ y'know!" _

"_Fuck! Don't step over there!" _

"_Just keep __**quiet**__!"_

"_I still don' see why we 'ave to sneak-,"_

"_We're not sneaking!"_

"_We're merely leaving before Archer get's attacked by Nudge for 'sexual assault'."_

"_**Fuck off**__."_

As soon as Nudge opened her eyes, she knew something was wrong. It was quiet. Well not _quiet_ per se. There was light snoring coming from Gazzy and shifting from Angel, but there should have been something else. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes. And then rubbed them again.

They were gone.

They; as in Hexx and her friends. And gone; as in spirited away type gone. Vanished without a trace. Okay that wasn't exactly true, because she could see the crushed grass where they had been laying down. But still, there wasn't any sign of them having been there for the past hour or more.

Nudge frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. Not fair. So totally not fair. They had snuck away during the night. She turned to wake Max, but something caught her eye. A piece of paper lay on the ground where Hexx had been resting and Nudge felt compelled to go pick it up.

_Look, we had to go._

_Archer's our leader, not Max. Leaving in the middle of the night just saves us the trouble of goodbyes. Besides, we'll probably see each other some other time._

_Hexx_

Nudge felt her anger drain away. They'd see each other again. So it was okay. They were still friends. She wasn't crying.

Halfway across another state, Hexx sneezed. Havoc laughed, causing Scales to slap the back of his head. Candy frowned and began to tell the scaled boy off, resulting in said boy sticking his tongue out. Candy gaped before almost leaping across the table they were sat around to attack him. Hexx rolled her eyes, turning so she could listen to Death better.

Havoc spun around where he sat, ignoring the game of tag that had been started by Candy and Scales. Archer had just disappeared _again_. Havoc knew that the guy was a loner by choice and all, but still. He could at least _say_ something when he left.

"What're looking for?"

Havoc jumped, head turning so fast there was a risk of whiplash. Archer was sitting next to him, scowl lingering in his expression. Laughing, Havoc shrugged.

"Nothing much~!" Archer snorted, but chose not to argue, turning so he could see Hexx instead. Havoc stood, grinning at Archer once more before making his way to join in the game of tag.

"Oi, wicked witch of the west, get them leaving in half an hour." Hexx glared at him, a snarl on her lips at the nickname he had oh so graciously gifted her with.

"Fine, _Mutt_." Death stifled a laugh as the two continued to glare at each other. The two never even realized how entertaining they were. Somewhere down the line, they'd stopped fighting over power, and fought for the sake of it. Like an old married couple.

Death blinked, taken aback by his own thoughts. Oh. _Oh_. Why hadn't he noticed it before? He adjusted his scarf, hiding the smile that had begun to spread across his lips.

"You two should get married." Scales announced, skidding to a stop by the bench.

"And you should go fuck yourself." Archer's retort wasn't a surprise. Neither was the punch he threw at Scales, quickly followed by another when the dark skinned boy avoided the first. What was a surprise was Hexx's response.

She slumped forward onto the table, using her hair to cover her face. Death frowned slightly, confused, and reached a hand out to shake her shoulder.

"I hate him so much I don't even know anymore." Death paused, not sure who she was talking about. He allowed his hand to drop onto her shoulder though, sensing she needed the comfort, and made an inquisitive noise in the back of his throat. Hexx chuckled lightly, turning her head to one side so she could view him through her hair. Death was so damn cute sometimes, with all his social awkwardness.

"Get Candy and Havoc for me will ya?" Nodding Death slid off the bench to collect the two. Hexx let out a sigh, hiding her face once more. All this thinking was going to give her a headache.

"I wasn't being strictly serious y'know." Hexx sat up as Scales sat on the edge of the table, looking towards the gates of the park. She was about to respond when he continued speaking. "You two just work… without working if you get my meaning." Hexx shook her head, smiling even as she disagreed with his words.

"Well if that's what you think I won't stop you Scales. Just choose better times to voice your thoughts, alright?" Scales flushed lightly, raising a hand to his already bruising cheek.

"Alright. Where's Archer got us going anyhow?" Hexx snorted at the question, stretching as she stood.

"Hell if I know. Probably wants to get away from the Flock or something." Scales hummed in agreement, trailing the dark haired teen as she moved towards the gates. The other three were already waiting there for them, Candy and Havoc talking to Death rather animatedly about something or other. Probably explaining Tag.

As they saw Hexx and Scales approaching, their conversation stopped; replaced instead with the careful curiosity they always held when Archer wasn't around. Hexx smiled slightly, shaking her head when Candy yelled at them to hurry up.

All was well in her world again.

…

So why did she feel like something was going to go horribly wrong?

Oh lord I kept writing **ANGLE**-MATHS WHY MUST YOU STALK ME SO?

And fffffffff- this is a shitty thing to write.

I-I don't even think sorry covers how much I apologize to all of you out there. I've had this thing sitting around for _**ages**_ but I couldn't write it. So sorry if it sucks.

But hey! Possibly sequel!

I swear I'll update it more frequently.


	8. Rewrite in the Works!

Hey!

This is a general update for those who are interested.

This story is being rewritten and the first chapter of said rewrite is now up! It's called _Hexx Marked_, and while it will follow the same basic plot line of this story, it should be better paced and there will be some major changes.

Check it out if you feel that way inclined!


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